The City of Hamilton brought new vibrance and interest to the Johnson Tew Arboretum by installing a 300-square-metre mini forest in the fall of 2023, which included over 900 plants of 38 different species. 

The Project 

In October 2023, 30 volunteers came together to plant a new mini forest in Hamilton, ON, supporting the city’s goal of reaching 40% canopy cover by 2050. 

The forest’s layout was thoughtfully designed. It features a gathering space in the center of the mini forest so that park visitors who wish to picnic or relax in nature can sit immersed in this beautiful and densely planted space. A bench, built by the forestry department, will be installed behind the mini forest so that visitors can also sit and enjoy the forest from the outside. On the event day, several forestry staff were on site to assist, including Arborists, Forest Investigators, and the Manager of Forestry. Also in attendance were the City Manager, Director of Environmental Services, and two City Councilors. 

The City of Hamilton has already planted a few mini-forests and is supporting community partner and GCC member Green Venture to expand on these efforts. This leadership reinforces the importance of setting municipal canopy targets and strategic urban forestry objectives. These mini forest sites can help municipalities achieve increased canopy cover goals. There seems to be no slowing down these incredible planting efforts!  

Lessons Learned 

At the event, every plant was colour-coded with flagging tape that identified whether it was a canopy, sub-canopy, arborescent, or shrub. This was a great strategy for achieving the mixed planting pattern of a Miyawaki forest. Every volunteer was instructed to grab 3 – 4 plants of each colour and plant them within a 1 m² spacing. The volunteers planted quickly and had a great time. In the future, instead of using flagging tape, water-soluble paints will be used to colour-code the canopy layers so that less time can be spent removing the tape at the end of the event.  

This project was supported by Green Communities Canada’s Living Cities Canada Fund.  

To find plants that are adapted to grow in your region, or plant nurseries that sell native plants, visit the Network of Nature website at the links provided. To learn more about mini forests, take our free and publicly available mini forest online course.